Secondary cigarette and cigar smoke as a health hazard to smokers and non-smokers alike is increasingly being recognized. Secondary smoke is particularly noxious in enclosed spaces such as restaurants and other dining areas, casinos and vehicles. The annoyance and harmfulness of secondary smoke is only partly alleviated by air circulation systems designed to clear the air in such spaces.
A significant portion of secondary smoke is from burning cigarettes and cigars placed in ashtrays between inhalations by the smoker. Moreover, the ashes, stubs and other debris from smoking articles that accumulate in ashtrays are a source of noxious odors which can be eliminated only be constantly emptying and cleaning the ashtrays.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a system for exhausting and removing smoke from burning cigarettes and cigars placed in ashtray units and which is particularly effective in reducing the concentration of secondary smoke in enclosed spaces of the kind mentioned above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for efficiently removing cigarette and cigar residues such as ashes and stubs and conveying them to a sealed receptacle or canister from which such residues can be readily removed.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an ashtray unit for holding a smoking article such as a cigarette or cigar and which is adapted to be removably received by a vacuum system valve mechanism installed in structures such as restaurant dining tables, countertops, casino gaming tables and the like.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an integral ashtray unit and residue-receiving canister which is connected to a residue-exhausting vacuum system yet is portable to some extent.